§ 38. Mr. Scott-Hopkinsasked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the
486WIndustry Act 1972 and regional development paid to firms in the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a whole.
total sum at 1 January prices which the National Enterprise Board has spent on the purchase of shares in United Kingdom companies since its inception; and what was the estimated value of those holdings at the most recent valuation date.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldThe recalculation of the board's expenditure on shares in the way sought by the hon. Member would involve disproportionate costs. The information required to answer the second part of the question is not available; 95 per cent. of the NEB's shareholdings are in companies which are unquoted, such as Rolls-Royce and 47 others, or in BL which, though quoted, has less than 1 per cent. of its shares in private hands so that the market price is not representative.